Spending Christmas in Whistler, is like stepping into a winter wonderland. This magical place brings you a true Canadian Christmas amongst the twinkling lights and falling snow. While COVID-19 has presented many barriers to social gatherings and recreation, there are still ways to safely enjoy what Whistler has to offer.
This year has been difficult for all of us, and adding a little sprinkle of magic during the holidays helped remind us of what awaits.
We made sure to follow British Columbia’s Public Health Official’s recommended ways in which to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Including: social distancing, masks at all times, and regular hand washing.
A few months ago, we began this journey by eagerly reserving designated days for skiing. We jumped online as the Whistler reservation system opened, and snagged the 26th and 27th as our days to enjoy the slopes. The only thing we could do after that was impatiently await our departure date and hope that Adam’s application to enter Canada was approved by the Canadian government.
When the time finally came, we opted to spend over 12 hours driving to our AirBnB to curb interactions with people. Luckily, the roads were easily drivable considering the possibility of winter conditions.
Where we stayed:
When we arrived in Whistler, we were stunned by the beauty of our accommodation. Cozy, quiet and smothered in Christmas. The house was pre-decorated upon our arrival, and it was done spectacularly. Every inch of it was festive, right down to the plates and mugs. The Christmas tree was even Canada themed, which supplied some useful material to educate Adam with. The house also came fully equipped with a pool table, hot tub, and a heated ski room in the garage. It was also located on a snowy golf course, which provided opportunity for easy snowshoeing. Good thing too, since we were planning to mostly keep to the house when we weren’t skiing due to COVID-19.
We enjoyed playing pool, sitting in the hot tub, sipping Christmas cocktails, playing card games, and snowshoeing on the golf course. One night, we had a ridiculous poker game, which ended with everyone stealing chips from one another. After a whirlwind Christmas, we hit the slopes.
Hitting the slopes:
Our first day was spent exploring the many runs Whistler and Blackcomb had to offer. Although we had received plenty of snow the night before, the visibility was really bad, making it hard to ski anything outside of the trees. Though the weather conditions were not ideal, we still loved the fresh snow, the variety of terrain, and the thrilling Peak-to-Peak gondola ride! Of course we still had a blast. There’s no such thing as a bad day on the mountain.
The next day, we were greeted by 2 feet of fresh snow! This time, we had blue sky to go with it. We rushed to the hill, and spent the morning skiing the runs on the chairlift 7th Heaven. And man was it Heaven! The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and you could see snow capped mountains for miles. We tried to get as many laps in as we could in the fresh powder before the lift lines became unbearable. We were so spoiled!
After lunch, we headed over to the Whistler Peak Chair because I decided that Adam couldn’t spend two days skiing Whistler without hitting the signature chair. Once again, we found incredible powder, which we elected to lap twice before taking the ski out to Whistler Village.
Our incredible day was capped off at the bar, Longhorns, at the base of Whistler mountain. We thoroughly enjoyed our après ski beers and Adam was introduced to a Canadian classic: World Junior Hockey.
Whistler Train Wreck Trail:
Our two days of skiing following Christmas left us all exhausted. Next time we would leave a day to rest after Christmas and/or between our ski days. So, we spent the next morning lounging! In the afternoon, we enjoyed a quick hike to the Whistler Train Wreck. Adam wrote a full blog post about the excursion, which you can find here!
Whistler Village:
On our last day, we walked the 4km into Whistler Village to enjoy the Christmas lights display. We were not disappointed in the slightest. Whistler Village is a classic mountain resort town. With its beautiful shops and restaurants, falling snow and decorated trees, you get the feeling that you’re in a snow globe! Adam had never walked through the village before, so we enjoyed strolling through the streets while admiring the various shops. We also had time to sit back and relax and enjoy a few mulled wines amongst the colourful lights.
While our stay was largely restricted due to Provincial measures and our own efforts to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19, we found ways to enjoy nature, spend quality time with family, and celebrate the joy of the holidays.
We cannot wait to go back!
